KR100471154B1 - Usb device having a connector fitting type cap - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is to be inserted into the concave groove formed in the upper surface of the connector with a protrusion formed therein to protect the connector of the USB accessories without forming a separate connection structure such as a step portion in the main body It relates to an accessory.

The present invention relates to a USB accessory device electrically connected to a USB (UNIVERSAL SERIAL BUS) port such as a personal computer, a notebook computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), etc., comprising: a main body for mounting a substrate and various components mounted therein; A connector that exchanges a signal with an outside and is mounted to protrude on the main body, and has a concave groove formed on an upper surface thereof to form a fixed coupling in a USB port; And a cap having an opening formed at one side thereof, covering the connector, and having a protrusion formed therein to elastically fit into the concave groove of the upper surface of the connector.

Description

USB device with connector insert cap {USB DEVICE HAVING A CONNECTOR FITTING TYPE CAP}

The present invention relates to a USS accessory having a connector insert cap, and more particularly, a separate connection structure such as a stepped portion in the body by inserting a cap having a protrusion therein into a concave groove formed in the upper surface of the connector The present invention relates to a USB device that can protect a connector of a USB accessory without forming a wire.

USB (UNIVERSAL SERIAL BUS) interface is a popular connection method that is used by inserting USB devices such as memory sticks or wireless LAN cards into USB ports such as personal computers, notebooks, or personal digital assistants (PDAs). Means a terminal, a plug, a connector, or the like. Compared with the conventional personal computer, the current personal computer requires the connection of many USB devices such as a telephone, a modem, a printer, a microphone, a speaker, a mouse, and a scanner according to the development of various application programs. A more convenient and functional USB interface is used for the combination, which allows easy connection of USB devices, hot plugging and full Plug and Play capability to reboot the computer when exchanging USB devices. It has the advantage of making it work without it.

Conventionally, a cable-type USB interface is used for such a combination (FIG. 1), but in recent years, a connection is directly made without a cable due to a small and thin product. Figure 2 shows a memory stick as an example of a USB device employing a USB interface that is used in recent years.

USB devices include a variety of devices such as memory sticks and wireless LAN cards, and their portability has become more important because they can be easily attached and used in any computer equipped with a USB port. Therefore, in order to increase the portability of the product, a structure that covers the cap part of the connector part is adopted to protect the USB port connector while miniaturizing.

The USB accessory of FIG. 2 includes a main body 1 and a USB connector 3 coupled to the main body, and also includes a USB connector cap CAP for protecting the USB connector 3 of the main body 1. Doing. At this time, the stepped portion 6 is formed on one side of the main body 1 on which the connector 3 is mounted so that the USB connector cap 2 is coupled to the main body 1. That is, the step portion 6 refers to a portion in which a small quadrangle protruding from one side of the main body 1 on which the connector 3 is mounted to form a step is formed. The step portion 6 is further provided with a recess 4. The recess 4 is provided with a protrusion 5 formed in the cap 2 to fix the cap to the main body.

The state of the USB accessory device after fixing is as shown in FIG. 3. A protrusion 5 formed inside the cap 2 is inserted into the recess 4 to fix the cap to the main body, and the USB connector 3 is stored inside the cap to protect the connector from the outside.

However, such a structure has a problem that the product is increased by the protruding distance of the stepped portion because the stepped portion and the recessed portion are formed in the main body for fixing. That is, in order to form the stepped portion without affecting the various components and the board mounted inside the main body of the USB accessory, the stepped portion must be formed so as to protrude toward the outside rather than the inside of the main body. Due to this, the USB cap 2 also becomes large as the protruding length of the stepped portion, and the overall length of the USB accessory becomes large. This has been a factor in increasing the size of USB products, in which the portability of the product is important.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, it is intended to prevent the increase in the size of the product in the structure for using the protective cap by inserting the connector protective cap into the connector of the USB accessory.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a new coupling structure that allows the cap to be coupled without forming a separate coupling structure such as a stepped portion in the main body of the USB accessory.

As a construction means for achieving the above object, the present invention is a USB accessory device electrically connected to a USB (UNIVERSAL SERIAL BUS) port, such as a personal computer, notebook, PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), the substrate and mounted thereon A main body for mounting various parts to be formed therein; A connector that exchanges a signal with an outside and is mounted to protrude on the main body, and has a concave groove formed on an upper surface thereof to form a fixed coupling in a USB port; An opening is formed at one side, the cap covering the connector; And an inner plate formed to be parallel to the upper surface of the connector spaced apart from the other wall surface inside the cap by a predetermined distance, and having protrusions formed to elastically fit into the concave grooves by their elasticity. Provided is a USB accessory having a connector insert cap.

Preferably, the USB accessory further includes guide means formed in the cap to guide the position of the connector so that the connector fits into the protrusion of the cap.

Also preferably, the protrusion may be formed on an inner plate formed to be spaced apart from the other wall surface of the cap by a predetermined distance, so that the protrusion may elastically fit with the concave groove by the elasticity of the inner plate itself. In addition, such an inner plate may be formed to be parallel to the upper surface of the connector, the inner plate may include a support extending to the inner wall of the cap located on the upper portion of the inner plate and connected to the wall. .

Also preferably, the guide means may comprise at least one guide plate extending from the inner wall of the cap toward the connector, more preferably the guide means is adapted to guide the bottom and both sides of the connector. It is possible to be formed of at least three guide plates.

In addition, the guide means is filled in the interior of the cap is formed integrally with the cap, it is also preferable to configure to form a space therein the same size as the connector.

In addition, the connector may be formed on the smallest side or the largest side of the side of the main body, wherein the outer circumference of the opening of the cap is preferably matched with the outer circumference of the surface of the main body on which the connector is formed .

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a USB accessory having a connector insert cap according to the present invention, Figure 5 is a perspective view showing a cross-sectional view of the coupling state of the cap and the UBS accessory body of Figure 4;

The UBS accessory according to the present invention is characterized in that a cap, which has been fixed by a combination of a step portion and a recess formed in the main body, is fixed by using a connector mounted on the main body. This will be described in detail below.

4 illustrates a main body 100, a connector 130, and a cap 120. 4 illustrates a state before the cap 120 is coupled to the main body, and the connector 130 is mounted to the main body 100. The main body 100 includes a substrate and various components mounted on the substrate therein. In FIG. 4, the main body 100 has a rectangular bar shape, but is formed in various shapes according to the type and function of the USB accessory. The main body 100 may also be formed of various materials such as plastic and metal.

The main body 100 is equipped with a connector 130 coupled to the main body of the computer in order to exchange signals with the outside. The connector 130 protrudes and is mounted to the main body, and is electrically coupled to the internal substrate, and a plurality of connection terminals are embedded therein. The connector 130 generally has a rectangular cross section, and a concave groove 160 is formed at an upper surface thereof so as to be inserted into and fixed to a USB terminal such as a computer. A protrusion (not shown) structure is formed in the USB terminal such as a computer to fit into the recessed groove 160 as described above, and the connector can be easily prevented from being pulled out through the combination of the recessed groove 160 and the protrusion. do.

The connector 130 is inserted into a USB port and is generally standardized. For example, in the case of a type A connector, the rectangular cross section of the connector is 8.0 * 16.0 mm ² , and the protruding length of the connector from the main body is 11.75 mm. In this way, the size of the connector is standardized, and the shape is also standardized to fit the USB port. Therefore, the location and shape of the concave groove 160 formed on the upper part of the connector is also standardized.

The present invention relates to mounting a cap using such a standardized connector. The cap used in the present invention has an opening 170 through which the connector 130 can be inserted, and is formed in a box shape to cover the connector as a whole. Typically, the shape of the cap 120 is formed to maintain consistency with the shape of the body.

A protrusion 150 is formed in the cap 120 to fit into the concave groove 160 formed in the upper surface of the connector 130. The protrusion 150 is mounted inside the cap to elastically couple with the concave groove 160. In order to elastically couple with the concave groove 160, various methods such as being mounted in the cap through a structure capable of imparting elasticity or built into the cap through elastic means are possible.

Based on the preferred embodiment will be described the built-in form of the protrusion (150). The protrusion 150 is formed on an inner plate 155 formed inside the cap 120. The inner plate 155 is formed to extend from the opposite side of the opening 170 of the cap 120, that is, from the opposite side toward the opening. The inner plate 155 is formed spaced apart from each other and the other surface of the inside of the cap, respectively, preferably formed in parallel with the upper surface of the connector. Most preferably, the inner plate 155 extends horizontally. In this case, the inner plate 155 is elastic. The protrusion 150 formed on the inner plate 155 is elastically fitted with the concave groove 160 of the connector 130.

The inner plate 155 extends horizontally toward the opening 170 in the interior of the cap, in which case it may be fixed to the inner wall surface of the cap located on the top of the plate 155 to prevent the shaking. Do. That is, plate 155 includes support 156 extending toward the inner wall of the cap located thereon. This is shown more clearly in FIG. 6. The support part 156 is formed integrally with the inner plate 155, and is formed in a form that is integrally attached to or attached to the cap inner surface on the inner plate 155 to suppress the shaking of the plate 155, and the protrusion Keep the position of 150 constant. Even in such a structure, the protrusion 150 of the plate 155 has elasticity enough to be elastically inserted into the concave groove 160. In particular, when the material is made of plastic, the connector is inserted into the inner plate 155. ) Is bent by the protruding protrusion 150 to apply an elastic force in the downward direction, whereby the protrusion 150 can be elastically fixed to the concave groove (160).

The protrusions 150 are formed to have inclined inclined surfaces on the front and rear sides, respectively, so as to be naturally mounted and detached when the connector is mounted and detached.

In addition, the cap 120 having a structure according to the present invention may include a guide means for guiding the position of the connector 130 to fit with the protrusion 150 of the cap 120. Since the connector 130 is smaller than the space inside the cap 120, the concave groove 160 of the connector 130 elastically fits with the protrusion 150 of the cap through a means for guiding or supporting the position of the connector. You can do that. In consideration of this point, it is preferable that a guide means is formed inside the cap, and various means for guiding the connector 130 are possible, but will be described below with reference to a particularly preferred embodiment.

First, the position of the connector can be guided through the guide means 140 as shown in FIG. 6. The guide means of Figure 6 is made of the same guide plate 140 as the inner plate 155, the material is also preferably the same. At least one guide plate 140 constituting the guide means may be formed on the inner bottom surface of the cap 120 to guide the bottom surface of the connector. Preferably, the guide plate 140 may simultaneously guide both sides as well as the bottom surface of the connector. It may be formed of at least three guide plates.

Therefore, a connector insertion space is formed as shown by a dotted line in FIG. 6, and the connector 130 is inserted into the space, and the protrusions 150 on the upper side of the cap and the concave grooves 160 of the connector are engaged with each other. .

In addition, other embodiments of the guide means are possible. This is as shown in FIG. FIG. 7 illustrates a guide means having a structure filled in the cap to form an insertion space of the connector 130. In the present embodiment, the cap 220 is filled therein to include a filling portion 230 formed integrally with the cap. The filling part 230 includes an inner plate 255 and a protrusion 250 formed therein, and forms a space in which the connector can be inserted. Through this space, the connector is inserted into the cap 220 without a change in position, and through this, the concave groove 160 and the protrusion 250 of the connector may be coupled to each other.

By using a cap having a coupling structure as described above, even if a separate coupling structure is not formed on the main body of the USB accessory, the cap can be coupled, and the cap for protecting the connector can be combined even in a state in which the size of the main body is minimized. It becomes possible.

4 and 5, in the present invention, the connector is formed on the side having the smallest area among the various sides of the main body 100. This is the case with straight USB accessories. In addition, unlike the straight USB accessory, the connector may be mounted on the largest side of the main body. This is shown in Figure 8, the connector 330 is mounted on the side having the largest area of the main body 300. In the case of such a USB device, it is possible to use the cap 320 to protect the connector, in the case of using the cap is coupled to the connector 330 using the coupling structure as in the present invention. Further, the outer circumference of the opening of the cap in the USB accessory device preferably coincides with the outer circumference of the connector forming surface. This is intended to eliminate the impact factor that may be applied to the connector by preventing the step from occurring on the outer surface after the cap is coupled to the body.

In the above description, the present invention relates to a USB accessory device in which a cap is coupled to a concave groove formed in a connector by using a protrusion formed therein, and the internal structure of the cap varies depending on the shape of the guide means. Forms will be possible, and the protrusions elastically mounted inside the cap will also be capable of various structures and shapes for imparting elasticity.

As described above, according to the present invention, the connector protection cap is inserted into the connector of the USB accessory, thereby preventing the size of the product from increasing in the structure for using the protection cap.

In addition, the present invention provides a USB accessory of the structure that can be coupled to the cap by using a concave groove already formed in the connector without forming a separate coupling structure, such as a stepped portion in the main body of the USB accessory It has the effect of improving the mass productivity of the product.

While the invention has been shown and described with respect to particular embodiments, it will be understood that various changes and modifications can be made in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as set forth in the claims below. It will be appreciated that those skilled in the art can easily know.

1 is a perspective view of a USB interface in the form of a conventional cable.

2 is a perspective view of a conventional stick-type USB accessory with a stepped portion.

3 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the USB accessory of FIG. 2 is coupled with a cap.

4 is a perspective view of a USB accessory device having a connector insert cap according to the present invention.

5 is a perspective view showing a cross-sectional view of the coupling state of the UBS accessory body and the cap of FIG.

6 is an embodiment of a connector inserting cap according to the present invention.

7 is another embodiment of a connector insert cap according to the present invention.

8 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of a USB accessory having a connector insert cap according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

100: body 120: cap

130: connector 140: guide plate

150: protrusion 155: inner plate

160: recessed groove 170: opening

Claims (11)

In a USB accessory that is electrically connected to a USB (UNIVERSAL SERIAL BUS) port such as a personal computer, notebook, personal digital assistant (PDA), A main body for mounting the substrate and various components mounted therein; A connector that exchanges a signal with an outside and is mounted to protrude on the main body, and has a concave groove formed on an upper surface thereof to form a fixed coupling in a USB port; An opening is formed at one side, the cap covering the connector; And And an inner plate formed to be parallel to the upper surface of the connector spaced apart from the other wall surface inside the cap by a predetermined distance, and having a protrusion formed to elastically fit into the concave groove by its elasticity. USB accessory with connector insert cap. 2. The USB accessory of claim 1, further comprising a guide means formed in the cap to guide the position of the connector so that the connector fits into the protrusion of the cap. delete delete 2. The USB accessory of claim 1, wherein the inner plate includes a support extending toward an inner wall of the cap located on top of the inner plate and connected to the wall. 3. The USB accessory of claim 2, wherein the guide means comprises at least one guide plate extending from the inner wall of the cap toward the connector. 7. The USB accessory of claim 6, wherein the guide means is formed of at least three guide plates to guide the bottom and both sides of the connector. The USB accessory having a connector inserting cap according to claim 2, wherein the guide means is filled in the cap to be integrally formed with the cap and forms a space having the same size as the connector. The USB accessory of claim 1, wherein the connector is formed on the smallest side of the side of the main body. The USB accessory of claim 1, wherein the connector is formed on the largest side of the side of the main body. The USB accessory device according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the outer circumference of the opening of the cap coincides with the outer circumference of the surface of the main body on which the connector is formed.